Aaj Ka Anand Papers to launch English daily in Pune

Aaj Ka Anand Papers Ltd, which has been publishing Hindi daily Aaj Ka Anand in Pune for the last 40 years, is all set to launch an English daily. The group also has a Marathi eveninger, Sandhyanand. The launch date for the new paper has not been finalised yet.

Senior Pune-based journalist Anand Agashe has been roped in as Managing Editor for the yet-to-be-named paper, while Vinita Deshmukh, a veteran Pune-based journalist and RTI activist, has been appointed as Editor.

When asked whether it was the right time to enter the market, when there were already quite a few strong players, sounding optimistic, Agashe said, “I am in the field of journalism for the last 30 years. I think there is always room in any market for new players; one just needs to search for the right place and maintain it.”

He further said, “We are focusing on the content, which will play a key role in the paper’s success, besides devoting a lot of attention on the layout of the paper. As for the promotion strategy, the marketing activities will be underway in a month’s time.”

Recruitment for the daily is currently underway and is expected to be wrapped in a couple of weeks’ time. Meanwhile, some names for the new English daily have been sent to the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) for approval.

Commenting on the paper’s content, Deshmukh insisted that it would be “hatke”. “I would say it is a 21st century newspaper with original and different idea. We will carry both the local and international news as Puneites are global travelers,” she said.